Set a goal .Make a list on needed items , not wanted items . Water without it you will die , faster than being without food .Food , white rice and beans are a staple good that will last a long time if stored correctly but you need water to cook a meal so more water or a way to get or make clean water . Shelter away to warm and dry . Fire several way to start a fire , warmth , cooking or to burn out the thugs .Medical supplies from a little starch to a gapping hole with massive tissue damage and bone fragments and the knowledge to know what to do . Rags and plugs are great blood stoppers sorry ladies for being crude . Protection if it is a weapon ( gun handgun shotgun rifle ) try to stick to one caliber . AKA 410 / 45 / hand gun *judge * - 22 rifle and handgun lots of brands . carbine 40 /9mm /357/ 38/ cal.. handgun 40 cal./9mm 357/ 38. This is a short list read over other post here for more information and proven ideas . Oh and it is a one step at the time process set a goal meet that goal and then set the next one , try not to stress out over getting things together it takes time unless you have an endless supply of funding it will take time .

To see things as they are not as they want you to see them .. With the stroke of a pen all you rights and freedom can end ...

First I would take a nice deep breath and learn first. Don't panic and just start buying stuff. Evaluate, Plan, Act, Re-evaluate, etc.

Determine what your existing resources are and what your limitations are then start by reducing your limitations. Work toward goals such as 72 hours without resupply then go to a full week, two weeks etc per person in your group. Ensure you have what you need for the short term then begin making redundancies and layers.

Initial priorities should be:KNOWLEDGE and (not necessarily in this order):Water -- contained, portable, potential resupply, treatment methods ...Food -- what you already eat; if you need one can of beans buy two; variety of foods that can be eaten cold or hot....Shelter -- could be as simple and inexpensive as a roll of visqueen plastic or as complex as an RV; blankets, extra clothes, ...Energy -- light, heat, cooking, batteries, solar, generator etcSecurity -- wide range of issues; can be first aid, neighbors, firearms, camouflage, evasion, etc

What issues are you likely to encounter? Consider the threat from your epicenter: house, city, county, state, region, etc. Loss of job, house fire, earthquake, wild land fires, tornadoes, floods, extreme cold or hot, windstorms, civil unrest? What can you do to reduce likelihood of harm from these issues? What can you do to increase preparedness for these specific concerns?

Postby rebnavy1862 » Fri Apr 07, 2017 4:00 pm Driven, are you sure you are from Kalifornia? You make a lot of sense.Reb"Then call us Rebels if you will, we glory in the name, for bending under unjust laws and swearing faith to an unjust cause, we count as greater shame". Richmond Daily Dispatch May 12 1862Semper Fi, Sic Semper Tyrannis, Remember The Alamo, and Aide'toi et Dieu T'aidera!

Well since you're not new to prepping, I'm sure you've already got some things covered. I think above all, you have to decide exactly what it is you are prepping for. Some of us here, such as myself, don't necessarily prep for a SHTF event. Instead, we might prep for storms, financial difficulty, short term power outages, or something like that. If I have more, then that's great......but that's not my mission. Knowing what I want to be prepared for certainly helps me focus on what it is I really want to accomplish. However, the lists already offered by other posters are nice to help prioritize focus. For example with water you should have a way to access a well without electricity, have many gallons of stored water on hand, have a few purification systems figured out, and brainstorm how you could access local water supplies (if possible) as well as how you would transport it if you had local water supplies available. I try to consider several instances where water may not be available. I think of what it would have been like to live fairly close to Mt. St. Helens when it erupted. I've heard many of those people couldn't leave for quite a while b/c the ash clogged up filters in their vehicles. You wouldn't be able to use river, pond, or lake water due to the ash. Well water would probably work, at least for a while, although the electricity went out pretty quickly. You would have to rely on stored water and perhaps purification systems to get through that kind of situation. A lot of people have ONE plan for their water and then move on. If that one plan was to use lake water near your home, you could be setting yourself up for a real nightmare.

At this point in my life, I want to have the basics covered like water, food, shelter, etc. But more than that, I strive to be financially self sufficient. Stocking up when sales are going on, making smart money choices and investments, and buying things now that may not be available later are what I like to do. When you think of prepping as an overall "thing" it can become overwhelming very quickly. I prefer to make it a bit lighter and take some pride and joy in what I have accomplished. I also use lists and try to keep organized so I don't make mistakes and also to minimize waste. I tackle many projects at the same time instead of just doing one thing and then doing another. That's just how I roll. I'll start a list on what medical supplies I need to order, while also picking up an extra 5 gal water container at the store, while also watching the canned soup sale and stocking up there. I usually have several irons in the fire at the same time. I'm the turtle....not the hare, even when it sometimes feels like I should get everything wrapped up NOW. The turtle doesn't bring any undue attention to themselves and small moves do add up quickly. I can't believe how much more prepared I am now than I was just a few short years ago.

I plan for everything in general but I always say no matter what happens you need to know the basics. I consider the basics as the "3" "W's"This is sometimes called the Law of the 3's but I call them the 3 Ws because they have the denominator or 3 and I made them all begin with a W.

The Ws are Warmth, Water, and Wheat and it goes like this:

WARMTH; 3 hours with a reduce body temperature = death by hypothermiaWATER; 3 days without hydration = death by dehydrationWHEAT; 3 weeks without food = death by starvation

Granted that with today's modern medical miracles someone could be brought back from the brink of death after exceeding one of these 3s but the idea is that in a crisis you don't have access to it.

This list helps in many situations. Consider being stranded in a car or lost out in the wilderness. You will likely get hungry and thirsty but hypothermia will kill you before either of those.

Example: a few weeks ago the local water department shut off the water. I immediately had my family begin filling the bathtub, sinks, and containers with water. Then I called and found out how long the water would be off. It was only a couple hours. Sure I have reserves l, but I won't use them if I can use other resources.

After this I recommend education surrounding the 3 Ws. How to make a fire, stay warm, conserve heat and how to purify / distill water. The 3 Ws also help to prioritize what to put the most effort into learning.

You could add a 3th W for Weapons but a weapon doesn't help keep you alive--it helps stop someone /something (bear, wolf) from living.

If you ain't got time to do it right the first time you won't have time to do it right the second time.

Start with study and planning! If you do those first, you will know what your doing and have a plan to do it! You will also end up with preps that fit your needs and save money! I wish there were simple answers, but we each have different needs and priorities!

At the moment it is eighty degrees with a light breeze. I really don't worry much about staying warm and heating my home, other people may need to. Swamp

People rarely notice what it right in front of their eyes. The Da Vinci Code

The variety of answers indicates the complexity of this question and how its impacted by your situation. Prepping is like shoes, what fits you perfect may be all wrong for me. IMHO, a beginner needs to take a stock of their situation (of course this will change as they're knowledge base grows)

Are you urban? Are you rural? whats your disposable income? What are the most likely events you are prepping for? Whats your current skill level in outdoor survival, shooting and self protection, first aid, hunting trapping fishing agriculture, etc... There are some crucial questions and soul searching that need to be asked when someone begins to prep. Sadly, you don't learn the questions until you're well on the road. that usually results in wasted time money and effort, but lessons learned.

I can't help but think God is up there right now saying "its time to shake the ol' Etch-A-Sketch and restart humanity again".

RayMac1963 wrote:The variety of answers indicates the complexity of this question and how its impacted by your situation. Prepping is like shoes, what fits you perfect may be all wrong for me. IMHO, a beginner needs to take a stock of their situation (of course this will change as they're knowledge base grows)

Are you urban? Are you rural? whats your disposable income? What are the most likely events you are prepping for? Whats your current skill level in outdoor survival, shooting and self protection, first aid, hunting trapping fishing agriculture, etc... There are some crucial questions and soul searching that need to be asked when someone begins to prep. Sadly, you don't learn the questions until you're well on the road. that usually results in wasted time money and effort, but lessons learned.

LOL, I was just going to write something similar Ray. Everyone's situation is different. That needs to be evaluated right off the bat. You need to look at your immediate dangers and how you can react to them. Stop and think, before you react.

But as for a list, mine would be similar to Rickdun's... butknowledge is just an ongoing quest about everything.

1. Water2. Food3. Security4. Medical

I'm not sure there is a right answer to your list, as you have to work on all these areas, filling the lowest hole in the bucket at any given time!

angie_nrs, you got it right. I don't prep for SHTF scenario events either although you could call a natural disaster a SHTF. My first for me was guns and ammo, that was ten years ago and I was wrong. Only because I did not really know back then what I needed to prep for. thank you all for responding. There all good answers, but I think understanding what your prepping for should top the list. At least for me.